


Intruder

by Sniffing



Series: Intruder [2]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Arguments, Eventual Fluff, Jealousy, M/M, Mutual Pining, Phasma tries to be a supportive friend, Unrequited Love, slightly angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-20 05:17:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5992912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sniffing/pseuds/Sniffing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an incident involving Kylo Ren and Hux's cat Millicent, Hux finds himself in situations that shouldn't be happening to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Uninvited

**Author's Note:**

> Here is a loose sequel to Millicent. I didn't plan on writing one before, but after it was suggested to me, I decided to do it. This will have multiple chapters and a little more angsty, or at least I hope, I only have a vague idea of the plot, and unfortunately I'm kind of thinking up things as I go along again. Personally, I believe this can be viewed as a stand-alone and Millicent is more of a prequel, which is why I'm grouping them together as a series rather than adding this as another chapter to Millicent.

**Chapter 1: Uninvited**                

                The room was silent, except for the pitter-patter of little padded paws and the occasional jingling of small bells. Most of the lights were out, with the exception of a small lamp next to a neatly made king sized bed and a sliver of light from underneath the bathroom door.

                Hux was completely unaware of the intruder on the other side of the door, as he was taking a shower and the running water covered all of the sounds. He lathered his hair until the suds began dripping onto his face, then rinsed.  He repeated, just for good measure, then washed his face and body quickly. As soon as he was finished, he got out of the shower and wrapped a pristine white towel around his waist. He brushed his hair, examining the length of certain sections of it carefully.

                When he opened the door, he found Kylo Ren crouched in his shadow, cat toy in hand, staring back up at him. His face turned a deep shade of red and he closed himself into the bathroom.

                “ _Ren_! What—why are you in my room? How did you get in?” screeched Hux.

                He heard a muffled response from behind the door, “You’re acting rather unprofessional, General.”

                Hux groaned to himself and sank to the floor. What the hell was he supposed to do with the man-child Kylo Ren in his room? Clearly he couldn’t leave the safety of the bathroom. He would have to convince the knight to leave from where he huddled now.

                “Unprofessional, you say? Who barged in unannounced to _my_ private quarters? I should inform Snoke your inappropriate behavior!” Hux hissed.

                Ren laughed and the general cringed. “How are you supposed to inform Snoke of what I’m doing in your room from the bathroom? Your comlink is out here with me.”

                Hux growled under his breath. He was trapped. He wouldn’t allow Kylo to see him like this. Nobody was allowed to see him like this. He was not meant to be thought of as anything other than an all-powerful general.

                He sighed and leaned his head against the door, “Why did you come into my room, Ren?”

                “I said before that I wanted to see Millicent more often,” Kylo replied, softer this time. Hux heard muffled jingling of a bell and a small noise from his cat.

                “That doesn’t mean you can come into my room without prior plans. This was not an appropriate time for it!” exclaimed Hux.

                “You aren’t any fun, Hux.”

                “I’m the general of this base. I’m not supposed to be fun!”

                “Then why do you have a cat?”

                What? Hux scoffed at Kylo’s logic. Owning a cat is not equivalent to being a fun person. Then again, what exactly made sense about Kylo Ren anyways?

                “Listen, Ren. I’m not going to play any games with you. If you would just leave, you and I could get back to our nightly routines and forget this ever happened,” Hux suggested.

                “What if I don’t want to leave?” He should’ve known better than to negotiate with Kylo Ren.

                Instead of responding with words, Hux simply let out an exasperated sigh, attempting to voice his frustration in a way that Kylo couldn’t turn against him.

                “Come out, Hux.” The knight demanded.

                “Don’t try your mind tricks on me,” Hux inwardly reprimanded himself for having sounded like he was begging. He braced himself for mental probing, but it never came.

                “Why would I do that?” Kylo asked, sounding nearly dumbfounded that Hux would even suggest such a thing, “Just come out. I’d like to speak with you face to face.”

                Hux weighed the pros and cons of stepping outside in his head. What would he gain? An end to this situation. What would he lose? His dignity.

                However, even if he did lose his dignity, he could use this as an opportunity to blackmail the knight. Informing Snoke of Kylo’s unwanted visit would surely result in some sort of punishment. If Kylo let out to anyone that he saw the great General Hux in nothing but a towel, he would be forced to pay. It was a solid plan, Hux thought, and stood.

                After adjusting his towel to his liking, and fixing his hair, he opened the door, this time without plans to slam it shut.

                “What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?” Hux demanded shortly.

                An ugly smirk smeared itself on Kylo’s face, “Nothing, I just wanted to see what you look like.”

                Hux felt his face grow hot, but wouldn’t allow himself to stoop low enough to react to such a statement, “Why did you choose now to come into my room?”

                “You’re always very busy, and this is the only time you have free. I wouldn’t want to distract you from your work, now would I?” There was something in Kylo’s voice that Hux couldn’t put his finger on.

                “I suppose not. But why wouldn’t you ask to see me before-hand?” Hux crossed his arms across his chest, less to establish dominance and more to hide himself from the knight’s gaze.

                Kylo shifted so that he was sitting with his legs crossed, “The idea struck me on a whim.”

                “Well, you’ve played with Millicent, you are free to leave,” Hux’s brows furrowed. Kylo didn’t move.

                “I wish you weren’t so adamant on me leaving. It’s as if you think it to be a crime that I just want to have a conversation with my general.”

                “If you wanted conversation, you should’ve made an appointment!” Hux flung his arms in the air out of frustration. Luckily, his towel was tied tightly around his waist, so the sudden jerky movement didn’t loosen the knot whatsoever.

                “I demand you to stop acting like this, Hux!” Kylo stood at this point, the toy falling onto Hux’s grey Berber carpet with a clang.

                “What are you do—“ Hux was cut off by the press of rough lips on his. He became frozen from shock, unable to melt. Seconds, or perhaps decades later, Hux finally came to his senses and pushed Kylo away.

                The two men stood, attempting to catch their breath as they stared each other down. Hux’s stare was one of disbelief, Kylo’s of hurt.

                The general was barely able to comprehend what had just happened before Kylo spoke, “I apologize for my brash behavior. I will take my leave at once.” The younger man straightened himself and saluted Hux—mockingly, to his dismay—and took his leave.

                The red-head plopped onto the side of his bed and buried his face in his hands. Why did this have to happen to him? His professional relationship with the knight was forever tainted. Hux felt Millicent rub against his arm, and drug his hand through her soft fur.

                Hux had never thought of Kylo in that manner, but now, it was all he could think about. What if he and the knight were ever together? What would Snoke think? How would the First Order react? These thoughts continued to plague him as he gently stroked his beloved cat.

                Deciding that the only way to keep his mind from racing was to preoccupy it, he decided to refill Millicent’s bowl of food. However, all the while he felt as though he were on autopilot. This had to be a dream, it must be. His entire night had been so surreal, and he was extremely exhausted. Sleep hadn’t been coming easily to him—what with worrying about building the superweapon to take out the Republic and doing so in the most time and cost efficient manner and all. Now he had Kylo Ren’s unrequited love for him to contend with. It was all too much for Hux.

                He watched absently as Millicent lapped away at her water and wolfed down her food. She always ate as if she had never seen food in her life. Hux never understood it.

                As he lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, he began worrying about the morning. The best thing to do would be to act as if nothing happened. He would continue on with his duty as general, and he would do it even better than before.


	2. Uncoiled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Kylo's actions the night before, Hux's tightly knit world is beginning to slowly unravel.

**Chapter 2: Uncoiled**

               Mornings were the worst for Hux. He’d always jolt awake from his alarm clock, (what a perfect way to begin the morning—with a near heart attack) check his comlink to make sure he didn’t miss any emergencies, then continue on with a tightly scheduled morning routine. It’s not that he hates routines, he loves them, they keep him busy and organized and neat, but he knows that it would usually end with some sort of Kylo Ren disaster.

                Except, this morning was different. It didn’t end with a Kylo Ren disaster—it began with one. Hux ran his hand through his hair as flashbacks of the previous night returned to him. His heart began beating at the speed of light. However, he was determined to not let this affect him.

                He moped through his entire morning routine, stopping every once in a while to think. That is, until he realized that he had dedicated too much time to thinking, and was running off schedule. A new sense of dread flooded through him as adrenaline was released into his bloodstream and he began to panic.

                He through his hat on his head rather haphazardly, refilled Millicent’s water, and headed to the command center of Starkiller base.

                “You’re late, General,” Phasma hissed as he stumbled into the room, “This is unlike you.”

                “I apologize, Captain,” Hux said between pants.

                Phasma cocked her helmet, “Do you want to offer an explanation for this?”

                Hux straightened himself and rested his hands at the small of his back. Not wanting to go into personal details, he fabricated the most believable lie he could come up with at the moment, “Millicent had vomited. I spent more time than necessary to clean it.”

                “Hmph,” Phasma snorted. It sounded more like a shriek from underneath her voice modulator, “Don’t let it happen again.”

                Hux nodded curtly and Phasma headed out to train her troops. The general removed his hat to comb his fingers through his hair, as he always does when he’s stressed. Soon he would have to attend a meeting with Supreme Leader Snoke, which is nerve-racking enough on its own, however, knowing that he would be with Kylo reduced him to an anxious mess. Perhaps determination to do better wasn’t enough to guard him from the effects of his experience with the knight.

                After checking with Mitaka for the daily technical report of the ship, Hux decided to head off to see Snoke early. He had already been late once this morning, and besides, it was always better to early.  

                To his luck, Ren was not present when he arrived. This was expected, as Kylo, the lazy bum he is, felt inclined to do things _his_ way rather than follow a regime. Kylo’s own personal schedule included sleeping in late and eating a large breakfast of meat and eggs and protein shakes, a long shower, and an excess forty minutes for his hair to air dry. It disgusted Hux, who only ate when it was necessary and had never slept in once in all his years of existence. The worst part was that it didn’t bother Snoke in the least. Favoritism, Hux concluded.

                He preened himself and headed into the great hall where the Supreme Leader resided. The room was dark and dreary and cold. Hux felt a shiver down his spine and Snoke appeared before him.

                “General Hux,” the enormous holographic projection greeted, his voice tainted with a permanent venom that stung Hux with every syllable.

                The general bowed his head, “Supreme Leader.”

                Snoke rested his head in his left hand, “How are operations, Hux?”

                Hux swallowed hard at the use of his name. However, he was determined not to let his fear of the Supreme Leader—the only being in this entire universe that could ever strike terror in his heart—get in the way, as it would communicate weakness, “Operations are well, sir. The superweapon is coming along nicely, ahead of schedule I would deduce.”

                The Supreme Leader chuckled, and despite him being a holographic projection, Hux could almost smell the monstrous man’s rotten breath, “You deduce? Oh Hux, do not make me reconsider my decision to allow you to be in charge of this operation.”

                Hux bowed even further, “I apologize, Supreme Leader. Perhaps my diction was not well premeditated. We _are_ in fact, running ahead of schedule.”

                Snoke leaned back in his ominous throne, “Perhaps there are other things that are not well premeditated? Have I made a mistake?”

                “Sir, with all due respect, I come from a line of faithful servants to the Empi—“

                Hux was cut off by a large set of doors slamming and the baritone voice of Kylo Ren warped by his helmet’s voice modulator, “Supreme Leader, if I may have input, operations have been running smoothly under General Hux’s control.”

                “Ah, Kylo Ren, what a pleasure for you to have joined us. Don’t tell me that now you have grown fond of our dear general?” Snoke’s voice held high toxicity.

                “Certainly not,” Kylo said, emotionless, as if it were true, “I simply do not want to be put under the control of some son of a bantha who doesn’t know left from right.”

                “I don’t know where you’ve acquired such a sharp tongue, Kylo Ren, but I’d appreciate a leash on it while in my presence,” Snoke hissed, “However, I appreciate the contribution.”

                Kylo stood in line with Hux, and bowed his head slightly, “Thank you, sir.”

                Snoke mumbled under his breath before dismissing the two and disappearing. The knight turned heel and speed-walked away, and Hux fought to catch up.

                “Ren!” Hux called out. Kylo turned his head slightly to acknowledge his general, “You didn’t have to save my neck. I appreciate it.”

                The younger man snapped, and pushed Hux away. “Don’t talk to me,” He growled, and stormed away.

                Hux couldn’t help but feel hurt.

 

                His duties as general didn’t end here, this was only the beginning of his day. He made his rounds about the base, making sure all was well. His final destination was Phasma’s training ground for her troops.

                Phasma pulled Hux into the break room they always had their private chats in. She removed her helmet with a metallic click and brushed yellow-blonde hair out of her eyes.

                “How are things?” She asked gently. Hux cursed himself.

                “All is well, surprisingly. Ren hasn’t destroyed any—“

                Phasma interrupted him midsentence, “That isn’t what I mean and you know it. You’re off today.”

                Hux crossed his arms, “I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about.”

                “Hux, this base depends on your wellbeing. You aren’t acting like your normal self and it could ripple through the entire First Order,” Phasma’s face was contorted with worry.

                “I’m _fine_ , Phasma. It’s just a weird day, that’s all. I appreciate the concern, but it’s been wasted,” Hux shifted towards the door, growing more uncomfortable with each passing second.

                “You can tell me, Hux,” Phasma reminded. Hux simply nodded and headed out. Nobody could know about what happened the night before. At least not now. It could cause others to lose respect for him. Petty romance was a distraction from the ultimate goals of the First Order. Everyone would think he was incompetent for being caught up in such a distraction.

                Still, he couldn’t help but wonder why he felt the hurt when Kylo told him off. Perhaps he was mistaking hurt for another emotion. Disgust. It had to be disgust. The man was rude and ungrateful and inconsiderate. Hux almost laughed at himself. He wasn’t hurt at all. He was disgusted with the knight. Having gone through many courses of psychology in his schooling, he knew this was all a trick of his mind. Misattribution of arousal. He had mistaken his disgust from Kylo’s rejection for hurt. That’s all.

                As his day came to an end, he stepped into his quarters, greeted by his Millicent. He lifted the cat into his arms and carried her to his bed, where he zoned out as he petted her. He did this often. Sometimes it was nice to have the world melt away, with nothing but the calming sensation of silk fur and body heat under one’s fingertips.

                Deciding that he had been spaced out long enough, he carried out his nightly routine, which consisted of taking out his contact lenses, getting in the shower, brushing his teeth, cleaning out Millie’s litter box and refilling her food bowl if housekeeping droids hadn’t done so already, taking his medication, and finally, reading until he was too tired to continue.

                He slipped on his black framed glasses and read two full chapters of his current book (a political drama he picked up at a Corellian novelties shop) before his eyelids felt like lead. However, after putting the book down, he found that he had caught a second wind. His mind was racing, obsessing over Kylo’s behavior, and it showed no signs of slowing down.

                Hux got no sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter flows smoothly. Again, as I was writing this, I didn't have a truly coherent plan as to what would happen, I just wanted to convey that Hux is experiencing the effects Kylo has on him and how its affecting his work. And for any psychology buffs like me out there, I hope the reference to misattribution of arousal was accurate enough. I really haven't studied it that much... This chapter was self-edited so I apologize for any grammatical/spelling mistakes that may be present.


	3. Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected event will force Hux to come to terms with his feelings at lot sooner than he'd like.

**Chapter 3: Unexpected**

                A month had passed since Kylo had kissed Hux. In that long month, Hux had noticed himself begin to slowly deteriorate. He was thinner than normal, his face held a sickly pallor, and he was more accident prone. Just this week alone, he had tripped over his own feet five times. Five times too many, if he wanted to maintain his professional reputation.

                Hux found that Kylo was on his mind more often than not. Sometimes he would find that he had been staring at the younger man absent-mindedly. From time to time he would catch himself paying closer attention to Ren’s behavior than he would like.

 Of course, this all was confusing to him, yet he refused to tell Phasma about it, despite her increased worry for friend. If Hux could call her such. He never really had time for many friends much in his life, but it never bothered him in the least. His father always said that friends hold one back. Phasma was simply a co-worker whom he had a positive relationship with outside of their professional one. Was that a friend? Hux didn’t really care to think about it.

                But with his decrease in performance came decrease in general productivity on the base. Snoke was beginning to become impatient with the general, and he couldn’t help but worry that the Supreme Leader would send Kylo out to murder him. That had to be the source of his obsession with the knight. It would only make sense.

                Today, Hux made his way through the corridors of the base, greatcoat draped over his shoulders to hide his thinning frame, heading to the command center, like every other morning. And like every morning, he halted at Phasma’s side to engage in small talk and gossip. Like every morning, others began to waltz in at a steady rate.

                However, unlike every morning, Kylo Ren walked in early, and by his side, Lieutenant Mitaka. Hux nudged Phasma and nodded in the younger man’s direction. She cocked her head in disbelief. Usually he wasn’t up until midday. Not this early.

                “How odd,” Hux thought aloud. He leaned against the railing and watched the knight carefully.

                Kylo glanced in Hux’s direction, and his eyes narrowed from what the general read as deceit. What happened next shook Hux to the very bone, causing him to feel emotions he knew he shouldn’t have—Kylo made a very noticeable move to reach for Mitaka’s hand and intertwine their fingers.

                Hux’s grip on the railing behind him turned white-knuckle. He felt his face flush and a scowl cross his face. What he was feeling, could it be jealousy?

                “What is it?” The general vaguely heard Phasma whisper, however, the words were simply a jumble of sounds in Hux’s ears. Not only was Kylo partaking in strictly-forbidden public display of affection, it was with trusty (paranoid, but trusty) Lieutenant Mitaka. A growl rose in Hux’s throat and despite Phasma telling him to wait, the ginger made his way over to the unlikely duo, his greatcoat billowing behind him.

                Kylo pulled out Mitaka’s chair with no clear emotion on his face. The smaller man took a seat before noticing Hux storming towards them. Panic struck his features and he shrunk to about half his usual size.

                “ _Ren_! What the _hell_ are you doing?” Hux roared. His hands balled into tight fists and his face was probably hotter than it should’ve been.

                Kylo barely flinched at Hux’s aggressiveness and it bothered the general profusely. “Being a proper gentleman,” the knight replied coolly.

                “You know _damn_ well that PDA is strictly forbidden on Starkiller! I should report you to Snoke for what you’ve done!” Hux was fuming and Kylo only seemed to be entertained by it.

                The younger man smirked, “Why? What good is it to always run to someone else and tattle? Why don’t you do something about it yourself?” He raised his hands above his head, “Go on, shoot. I’ve been disobedient to the First Order. For all you know, I could be defecting. Strategically, it’s the safest bet.”

                Hux shook his head lightly. His baster was strapped to his hip, and he would have to let it stay there. Snoke wouldn’t allow him to live any longer if he killed Ren.

                “Not to mention, it would secure your position as the next emperor. I know that’s what you’re aiming for. Now’s your chance. I wouldn’t want to _stop_ you from achieving your dreams.” The knight was mocking him. This was revenge. This was revenge for the rejected kiss. How would others react if Hux shot Kylo dead, here and now? They would fear him. Some might consider him to be a madman.

                Hux’s hands dropped to his sides, but his eyes never left Kylo’s, “I won’t do it, Ren. I know what this is about, and I can’t play this game with you. Now if you’d please, act your age.” He wouldn’t allow Ren to control him.

                Kylo crossed his arms and smirked, “Very well, General.”

                Hux ran his gaze around the room, “Everyone! Back to work! Not a word of any of the events that have just transpired shall be spoken!”

                He glanced one last time at Kylo from over his shoulder and stormed away. He grew aware of the Captain trailing behind him, calling out his name, and turned around. Phasma pulled him into the nearest room, proceeded to order the three occupant stormtroopers out, and sat Hux down in a chair.

                She pulled off her helmet and set it on the table next to her, “You will tell me what that was all about. You don’t have any excuses this time.”

                Hux’s leg began bouncing uncontrollably and he looked away. Phasma leaned down on one knee in front of the general, “Look at you, Hux. You aren’t taking care of yourself. Everyone is feeling the effects of it, like I said they would.”

                Hux wanted to tell her in that instant what was going on. However, he could lose his dignity. Was he that prideful? This was no longer a personal matter. It was spreading throughout the First Order and everything was suffering from it. He had to tell her, no matter how embarrassing it would be, for the sake of everything he had worked for up until this very point in time.

                “About a month ago, something rather odd happened between me and Kylo,” Hux began. He swallowed hard as he tried to get the words unstuck from his throat.

                “Yes?” Phasma leaned in.

                “He came into my room one night without my permission, as I was in the refresher. We argued a little, and he kissed me,” Hux recalled. Phasma raised a brow.

                Hux shook his head, “It was unexpected, and I pushed him away. He felt rejected.”

                “Yes, but Hux—this doesn’t necessarily explain why you’re a ghost of your former self. Might I ask if you have feelings for him?” A slight smile creased Phasma’s face.

                Hux was taken aback by such a suggestion. Him? Having feelings for _Kylo Ren_? Ridiculous! “How _dare_ you think that?!”

                Phasma chuckled, “Well, given your behavior when Kylo held hands with Mitaka, it seemed you were feeling a little more than an increase in blood pressure.”

                “Are you insinuating that I was _jealous_ of Mitaka?” Hux had a deep understanding of his own emotions. He knew very well that he had felt jealousy, however, coming to terms with the meaning behind this emotion was something he wasn’t ready to do. He decided that his safest bet would be to deny.

                “Oh, more than that, Hux. I’m _telling_ you that you were jealous of Mitaka.” Hux felt his face grow hot with anger.

                Phasma took a seat in the chair behind her and rested her arm on the table, next to her helmet. “Listen, I know you like to think that you’re something else, but fundamentally, you’re not. Having feelings for someone is natural. It’s the Force’s way to get you to reproduce—even if you can’t do that with Kylo. Sometimes I think you’ve got yourself convinced that you’re above the Force. You’re above a lot of people, but not this,” she explained. Her drastic hand gestures betrayed her frustration.

                “I don’t think you understand, Phasma, that this isn’t how I was raised. A Hux doesn’t give into such petty emotions as love,” The general retorted.

                “Then Brendol did a number on your psyche. It appears he was trying to raise a psychopath. Unfortunately, not everyone can just disconnect themselves like that. You aren’t a psychopath, even if your father was,” Phasma had already braced herself for a violent reaction, which was guaranteed to come.

                Sure enough, Hux rose from his chair with his hands balled into fists, “ _How dare you sugg—“_

Phasma held her hand up to stop the ginger midsentence, “It’s a compliment, Hux. Take them as they come. Besides, you’ve always hated that man, and maybe it’s time to consider that everything he told you isn’t necessarily how it _actually_ works.”

                Hux snorted and sat back down in his chair. Phasma nodded to herself in satisfaction, “Now that you’ve calmed down, I ask that you just listen to me.”

                The general let out an exasperated sigh and waved his hand, “Get on with it, I’ll be running behind schedule soon.”

                Phasma’s features softened and she flipped her pixie cut hair from her eyes, “We’ve got to rewrite your brain a little. I understand love is a foreign concept to you, but don’t let that unfamiliarity scare you away from it. Perhaps a power couple in charge is what the First Order needs.”  

                Hux’s face contorted, “Kylo is with Mitaka, though.”

                Phasma snorted out a laugh, “It wouldn’t appear so at face value, but I’m actually an expert in these matters. Even if he doesn’t know it, I think what Ren’s trying to do is _make_ you jealous. It obviously worked, too.”

                “So what you’re saying is, if I make a move, he’d leave Mitaka for me?”

                “I don’t know. If he’s a _nice guy_ , no. He’s a Ren, however, so I’d guess that luck would be on your side.”

                Hux didn’t know how to respond.

                “I’d say go for it. I know that you’ve been programmed for one night stands, and if that’s all you want, then by all means. But give this love thing a try, Hux. You never know what kind of effect it would have on you, and by extension, all of us.” Phasma stood and secured her helmet with a dull click. Hux wrapped his greatcoat around himself tightly.

                The two made their way back to the command center, and luckily, Kylo was absent. Hux was free to carry out the rest of his routine.

                Throughout his day, Hux thought back to his conversation with Phasma. Since she practically forced him to come to terms with his feelings for the knight, perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to try and love. He considered the benefits of making a move with Kylo; a mutually strong bond with another person could prove to be ultimately beneficial. Even if Kylo rejected him, at least he would have closure and would be able to get back to functioning normally.

                A new found inspiration flooded through his body. He would do it. All he had to do was come up with a way to execute it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I hope this chapter is alright. A lot is happening and I really don't want anybody to get lost. And since midwinter break is over and I have AP classes and piano festival and a now overly-curious mother to worry about, updates may be a little slower coming, but they'll still arrive, I promise. I edited the chapter myself, so I apologize for any grammatical/spelling errors.


	4. But Infinite all the Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux has worked up his courage to ask Kylo out on a date, but how is he supposed to win the man over?

**Chapter 4: But Infinite all the Same**

               Not even a week had passed by and Hux was already appearing much healthier than before. His skin had a (slightly) healthy glow to it even, and he held more of a spring in his step. Luckily, Snoke had noticed the change in the general, and Hux was beginning to regain the Supreme Leader’s trust. Phasma was, in fact, the first to detect it, and the ginger could nearly see a conceitful smile behind her helmet whenever he walked by.

                Reporting issues about Kylo’s public display of affection towards Mitaka to Snoke (of course, it was done in such a way that the Supreme Leader wouldn’t know who were the instigators of the PDA) significantly lowered their outward touchy-feely behavior. With that being said, however, it didn’t stop the more private sessions in break rooms that seemed to be perfectly synced with Hux’s schedule. The general was beginning to believe that Phasma was right about Kylo’s jealousy play with Hux.

                The worst part about it was that they really did make Hux more jealous. Despite having accepted his feelings for the knight, he still was not one to like being controlled by anybody but the First Order. He secretly hated himself for allowing these feelings to take over.

                He had been thinking about how to ask Kylo out over the past week, however, he had hit a brick wall. It’s not that he wasn’t able to find time to ask the knight—he had plenty of chances for that. He didn’t know what exactly to do that Kylo would like. Inviting him over to watch a holo was too informal. He needed something classy and memorable.

                Another issue would be getting Kylo away from Mitaka. Hux chuckled to himself—it wouldn’t be much of an issue, really. Mitaka was welcome mat; the man was so easy to walk over because he so anxious and eager to please.

                Phasma had told him that it’s best to simply play everything by ear, and so that’s what Hux will do today.

                It was directly after their meeting with Snoke that Hux saw his chance. Kylo and Mitaka had been inseparable all day, and this would be the only time the two were apart.

                Or so Hux thought.

                As soon as the two walked out of the door, they were face-to-face with the skittish Lieutenant. Kylo looked Hux straight in the eye and pulled the small man into an animalistic kiss. Hux instantly became red with jealousy. What was Mitaka doing here in the first place? This wasn’t his station. Oh, that’s right. It’s his lunch break, he was technically free to roam the base during this time. Hux almost thought it rational to repeal lunch breaks in that moment.

                The general cleared his throat and rested his hands at the small of his back. His spine stretched and his chest puffed and his shoulders rolled back (the weight of the greatcoat helped) and he held this uncomfortable position as soundly as possible. Mitaka mirrored him. Not only was this attention-like position more professional, but was also an effective way to establish dominance. It was like a game and the one to break a sweat first was the loser. Hux had never lost before.

                “Sir?” Mitaka breathed uncomfortably. Kylo scowled. Hux smirked.

                “Lieutenant, I hope it wouldn’t be an inconvenience to you, but might I ask to speak to Kylo Ren in privacy for a moment?” Hux made sure to speak coolly and slowly to draw out this dominance-induced high.

                Mitaka blinked, and Hux could almost feel the palpitations in the smaller man’s chest, “C—certainly, General.”

                He stepped aside with flickering glances between Hux and Kylo, as if he was afraid the ginger pounce if he were to turn his back and was begging the knight to protect him. Finally, he worked up the courage to speed off down the corridor.

                “Hux, might I ask that you stay out of my personal affairs?” Kylo snapped once the Lieutenant was out of sight.

                “Amazing that you know exactly what I wanted to talk about without using your mind-reading tricks,” Hux drawled.

                Kylo made a turn to leave, “I don’t have time for this, Hux.”

                Hux reached out and grabbed Kylo’s scarf without being aware of what he was doing. The two stared at each for what seemed like hours and Hux was fighting not to allow himself to drown in the ocean of deep chocolate brown.

                Finally, Hux worked up the courage to speak, “Ever since you kissed me, I’ve been thinking non-stop about it. After some soul-searching, I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I want to give you a try. And not just as a one night stand, either. I apologize that it took me this long.”

                Kylo pursed his lips together and swallowed hard. He then gingerly moved to wrap his fingers around Hux’s arm. Hux glanced at the hand on his arm, then back to the younger man before him, “Well, what do you think?”

                Kylo sighed, “Could you give me a bit of time?”

                “I can wait,” Hux nodded. Then it hit him, just then: the perfect date idea. “If you want, meet me in hangar 07 by 22:00. I have a surprise for you.”

                The two men let go of each other, exchanged one last look, then took off in opposite directions.

 

                Hux spent the rest of his day more nervous than he would ever admit. He told Phasma about his date idea, and ordered her to watch over the base for a few hours if he didn’t return by 22:30. About forty-five minutes before he would wait in the hangar, he returned to his room to refresh. At last, he snatched up his medication, his glasses, his book, Millicent and her favorite toy, and two special items.

                Hux sat on a bench against the wall of the hangar while Millicent batted her toy around on the floor in front of him. To help the time go by faster, Hux tried to read his book, but found that he was too distracted by apprehension to concentrate on the words.

                What if Kylo didn’t show? Would that mean he had made a fool of himself? What if Kylo wasn’t ready tonight? Would he ever be ready? What if he really was in love with Mitaka? Such questions floated around in Hux’s head. It was to the point he couldn’t think about anything else. Every now and then he would hear noises that sound vaguely similar to the click of doors and his heart would skip a beat, and when Kylo never showed, waves of disappointment would crash inside him.

                And then, finally, Hux knew for sure that the click was real. He almost didn’t want to turn his head, because he was afraid it would be a stormtrooper making his rounds and he would return to dissatisfaction. But when he did, he had a pleasant surprise. Kylo Ren was walking towards him, rather impatiently, but he was here, nonetheless.

                Hux put his book down and stood to greet the knight.

                “So what did you have in mind?” Kylo inquired. He sounded rather annoyed.

                “See this ship here? We’re going for a flight,” Hux replied as he pointed to a relatively small ship with large windows in the front.

                Kylo snickered, “Who’s going to fly it?”

                Hux knew Kylo meant for him to take offense, but Hux refused. “Why, myself of course. I swear, sometimes you think I’m completely helpless.”

                Kylo shrugged and began walking towards the entrance. Hux scooped up his things and trailed behind.

                The small ship took off. This particular one couldn’t fly very fast, but that wasn’t going to be an issue tonight.

                “Where are we going?” Kylo asked softly as he sat in the co-pilot seat, next to Hux.

                “Somewhere special.” Hux answered, “You’ll see.”

                They flew in near silence for about thirty minutes. The ship had hyper-drive, however, where they were going was relatively close, so it wasn’t needed. Millicent switched between Kylo’s lap and Hux’s lap, and managed to not throw up, unbelievably (she get motion-sick very easily). The entire time, Hux kept a close eye on his coordinates for the waypoint he had set. Finally, he turned off the accelerator. They were floating in empty space.

                The ginger turned to look at his co-pilot, and smiled gently, “Well, we’re here.”

                “What the hell, Hux? We’re in the middle of nowhere!” Kylo bellowed.

                “Clearly you don’t know the area very well. Follow me,” Hux stood from his seat and headed out towards the viewing bay.

                Hux looked around, his hands neatly behind his back. Kylo stormed in behind him with Millicent at his ankles. “This is just empty space, Hux. I hope you’re not wasting my time,” he grumbled.

                “This is more than just empty space,” Hux began, “Right now we’re inside of a nebula. It makes sense that you wouldn’t be able to see it. But that’s why I brought these,” He pulled out two pair of boxy, black goggle-like contraptions from the pocket of his greatcoat, “These are linked to this particular ship and take scanned readings of gas content from the space around us to produce a sort of real-time, color-coded projection. I don’t allow others to know about these because the information that can be viewed in these is sensitive. However, we won’t be using them for educational purposes, and I believe I can trust you with the knowledge that I have these.”

                Hux handed Kylo a pair and put his own on. The black space outside the viewing bay suddenly burst into color. Reds and blues and greens and purples and oranges surrounded the two. Kylo appeared taken aback by the sudden change in his environment.

                Hux looked at Kylo, who was illuminated by the false-light. He had never thought that he would admit it, but Kylo looked stunning in front of the rainbow of color. Hux moved closer.

                “It really is beautiful,” Kylo finally whispered, still appearing to be in shock.

                Hux cautiously wrapped his arm around Kylo’s body and leaned in. Kylo immediately did the same, though not so cautiously.

                “How long have you had feelings for me?” Hux asked, not tearing his eyes away from the bright scenery before him.

                Kylo didn’t respond immediately. “I can’t really give you a definitive answer.”

                “Hmm.”

                “What about you?”

                Hux expected the question. “Well, it took me a month to come to terms with what I felt, and who knows how long before then I was denying it to myself?”

                Kylo nodded in response.

                “So what are you going to do about the Lieutenant?” Hux asked coldly.

                “I already told him that we weren’t going to work out, right after you talked with me outside the Supreme Leader’s room,” Kylo explained.

                Hux smirked, “Well done.”

 As if on cue, the two pulled their goggles onto their foreheads and their lips met. It was a slow kiss, gentle. Hux wasn’t expecting this, even from himself. He always thought he was more of an aggressive kisser, however, this was so different, and equally—if not more—pleasant.

                The kiss deepened as Hux scooted around to face Kylo and clung onto the knight’s neck. The younger man wrapped one arm around Hux’s waist and threaded the other hand’s fingers through Hux’s hair. Soon the two were kissing more passionately, tongue in each other’s mouths, filled with want and unresolved desire. Everything about this was wonderful to Hux. He decided in that moment that the aggressive, hungry clashing of teeth with his previous sex partners was nothing compared to this. A spark was igniting his stomach, one that never lit before.

                “Where do you want this to go?” Hux breathed between kisses. From what Phasma had told him, he understood that the first ingredient in the concoction of love was selflessness. Even if he wanted to go further, he needed to sacrifice if it meant keeping Kylo around.

                Kylo didn’t use words to reply. Instead, he slammed both of their bodies in the glass of the viewing bay, and helped Hux sink to the floor. Hux rested his head against the thick glass as Kylo straddled him. Even though his groin liked where this was going, he had to be sure.

                “Is this what you really want?” Hux asked.

                Kylo pinned Hux’s hands to the glass behind the ginger, “Definitely.”

                At this, Hux leaned up and nipped at Kylo’s lip. He was rewarded by Kylo grinding his hips into his groin, and the older man had to bite his lip to not let himself make noise.

                “Have you done this before, Kylo?” Hux asked, attempting to not let his voice hitch as Kylo sucked on his neck.

                Kylo stopped immediately and glared at the man underneath him. He made an odd face.

                “My apologies. I see now that you’re more experienced than expected.” the ginger realized that he had unintentionally thrown in a subtle insult, and for a second, thought Kylo would slice him in two. He was relieved when the dark haired man on his lap continued to ravish his jawline.

                Hux found Kylo’s grip beginning to loosen, and took his chance. Using all of his strength, he flipped both of their bodies so that Kylo was pressed with his back against the glass and Hux on his lap. No matter what, his instinct to fight for dominance would never fail him.

               

                Kylo leaned topless against the glass. His pants were disheveled and sagging. Hux sat adjacent to the younger man, his arm wrapped around Kylo’s shoulder. He as well was shirtless, however, he was wrapped in his greatcoat to keep warm. The taste of Kylo still lingered in his mouth, and he hoped his own taste clung to his partner’s teeth.

                When Kylo wrapped his body around Hux’s in an amorous embrace, however, the ginger was caught off guard. He didn’t know Kylo had this side to him, and was completely baffled as to why he would let it show to Hux. In response, he ran his hands through Kylo’s hair and sniffed the light strands. Smelling trace amounts of cologne was a turn-on, but Hux wouldn’t let himself go for round two.

                Millicent slinked from the cockpit and padded over to the couple. She curled up in Kylo’s disheveled scarf. Kylo looked up at Hux (how had he never noticed those cow eyes before?) and the ginger swallowed hard. Kylo really was beautiful. Hux couldn’t help it anymore. He tugged Kylo’s hair gently, just enough to angle his head properly and pressed their lips together. It wasn’t filled with desire however, it was sloppy and slow. Hux loved it.

                The two flew back to the base, and despite Hux’s (insincere) attempts to stop him, Kylo insisted on sleeping with his new lover. The two were too tired to engage in any more sexual activities, and fell asleep right away.

 

                When Hux awoke, he slipped his glasses on and checked his comlink. Phasma had sent him a message.

                _So how did it go?_

                Hux smiled to himself as the memories flooded back. To his right, Kylo was still entangled in the sheets, sound asleep. Of course, when under Hux’s roof, others played by _Hux’s_ rules, not their own. Hux awoke a grumpy Kylo and insisted the man make a visit to the refresher.

                Kylo complained the rest of the morning. The two arrived at the command center together, and Phasma seemed very pleased. Hux, afraid of showing weakness by blushing or swooning over his new lover, shooed Kylo away. Of course Phasma wanted to know the juicy details, but Hux said that he’d rather keep the memory private.

                Now, Hux felt stronger than ever. He knew there was somebody there to rebound off of, and that feeling filled him with new vigor. Hux now decided that instead of living under his father’s tight rules, he would live to prove his father wrong, as he had already. He would surpass his father in all ways possible, with Kylo forever at his side.

 

_~fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so first things first I can't write smut for shit. I was trying to get myself to write it here, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Oops sorry. And also for those of you who don't know, I kind of want to explain the whole thing about not being to see the nebula. It would make logical sense to be able to see it, right? Well, apparently, a nebula's brightness would be the same from any distance. It wouldn't just appear out of nowhere. This is actually called conservation of surface brightness. The nebula was already dim so it would appear just as dim up close. I didn't know this until I looked into it for this chapter. You learn something new every day I suppose. And now I'm super tired and I was extremely lazy with editing because I can't keep my eyes open. I apologize for any grammatical/spelling errors.


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